Soulive is a
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
/
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
trio that originated in
Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...
, and is known for its
solosIn music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
and catchy, upbeat songs. The band consists of Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums), and Neal Evans (Hammond B3 organ, bass keys,
clavinetA Clavinet is an electrophonic keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various models...
). Although they originated as a trio, the band worked extensively with different horn sections, which consisted of Sam Kininger (saxophone) from 2000-2003, and
Rashawn RossRashawn Ross is an American trumpeter and arranger from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, best known as the trumpet player for the Dave Matthews Band....
(trumpet) and Ryan Zoidis (saxophone) from 2003-2006.
Soulive is a
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
/
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
trio that originated in
Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...
, and is known for its
solosIn music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
and catchy, upbeat songs. The band consists of Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums), and Neal Evans (Hammond B3 organ, bass keys,
clavinetA Clavinet is an electrophonic keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various models...
). Although they originated as a trio, the band worked extensively with different horn sections, which consisted of Sam Kininger (saxophone) from 2000-2003, and
Rashawn RossRashawn Ross is an American trumpeter and arranger from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, best known as the trumpet player for the Dave Matthews Band....
(trumpet) and Ryan Zoidis (saxophone) from 2003-2006. The band also worked with vocalist Toussaint Yeshua from 2006-2007. Soulive is currently touring in the original trio lineup of Eric Krasno, Alan Evans, and Neal Evans.
History
In the 90's, brothers Alan and Neal Evans had been the rhythm section for the Northeastern
jam bandJam bands are musical groups whose albums and live performances relate to a fan culture that originated with the 1960s group Grateful Dead and continued in the 1990s with Phish and similar bands...
Moon Boot Lover with front man Peter Prince. After a brief foray into rap under the name The Elements, the brothers looked to form a traditional jazz organ trio.
On March 2 1999, Alan and Neal invited guitarist Eric Krasno to record some tracks with them in their home studio in Woodstock, New York. That
jam sessionA jam session is a musical act where musicians gather and play without extensive preparation or predefined arrangements; improvisation....
became their first EP,
Get Down! and the band shortly thereafter hit the road to begin touring. It was during that first summer together that the band recorded their first LP,
Turn It OutTurn It Out is an album by Soulive that was released on April 9, 2002 as a reissue. It was originally recorded in 2000. It was produced by Jeff Krasno....
, for
Velour RecordingsVelour Recordings is an American record label founded in 1999 in New York by Jeff Krasno and Sean Hoess.-Signed artists include:* The Cat Empire* Soulive* Kaki King* Melissa Errico* Maktub* Topaz* Lettuce* Kudu* Baba* Sonya Kitchell...
.
Turn It Out featured various guest musicians, including
John ScofieldJohn Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham, Medeski Martin...
,
Oteil BurbridgeOteil Burbridge, in Washington, D.C., is an American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the current resurgence of the Allman Brothers Band from 1989 through the...
, and Sam Kininger. The independently produced album went on to sell 65,000 copies, enabling Soulive to gain recognition in the jazz/funk scene.
In the next three years, Soulive embarked on five national tours. The band opened for
The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early lineup...
,
Dave Matthews BandDave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is an American band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. Founding members include singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, violinist Boyd Tinsley, and drummer Carter Beauford. Founding-member saxophonist LeRoi...
,
The RootsThe Roots is an American alternative hip hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals. Their debut album was released in 1993 and they have collaborated with a wide range of artists from...
,
CommonLonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American actor and rapper....
, John Mayer, and others. The band also continued to play at various festivals, including the
Monterey Jazz FestivalThe Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuting on October 3, 1958 and was founded the by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...
and Bonnaroo. Overseas, Soulive played shows in Japan and all over Europe.
In the fall of 2000, Soulive signed a record deal with
Blue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues...
. The following spring, Soulive released its first Blue Note album,
Doin' SomethingDoin' Something is an album by Soulive that was released on March 13, 2001. It was produced by Jeff Krasno with assistance from Bob Brockman and Yaron Fuchs. The album is the group's third release since their formation in 1999...
, which featured horn arrangements by
Fred WesleyFred Wesley is an American jazz and funk trombonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s.Wesley was born in Columbus, Georgia, the son of a high school teacher and big band leader...
, the trombonist from James Brown's band. The band's second Blue Note record,
NextNext is an album by Soulive that was released on March 12, 2002. It was produced by Jeff Krasno. Next brought a new chapter into the history of Soulive, and it marked the first time that the band toured as a quartet . Next built upon the success of the previous year's release, Doin' Something, with...
, featured guest vocalists
Dave MatthewsDavid John Matthews is a South African-American Grammy Award-winning musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band.-Early life:...
and
Amel LarrieuxAmel Larrieux is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Larrieux rose to fame in the mid 1990s as a founding member of the duo Groove Theory along with Bryce Wilson. After leaving the group in 1999, she released her debut solo album Infinite Possibilities the following year on...
, and rappers
Talib KweliTalib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American MC from Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the most critically, if not commercially, successful rappers in Hip hop music. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker"; his middle name in Swahili means "true"...
and
Black ThoughtTariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American hip-hop artist who is the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots and occasional actor...
. During this time, the band also recorded with singer-songwriter
Goapele MohlabaneGoapele is an African-American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. Her name means "to go forward" in Setswana, the language of her paternal grandmother.-Early life:...
.
In 2003, Soulive released a self-titled live album,
Soulive (Live), and a collection of remixes,
Turn It Out Remixed, which featured guests
Jurassic 5Jurassic 5 were an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 by rappers Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir , Mark 7even, DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist. The group broke up in 2007.-History:...
,
DJ SpinnaDJ Spinna is an American hip hop music artist and producer, who, according to Allmusic.com, has "remained strictly an underground artist despite his astonishing talent."-Biography:...
,
DJ Krush, better known as DJ Krush, is a producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental productions which incorporates sound elements from nature along with extensive use of jazz and soul samples....
,
J-LiveJ-Live is an MC, DJ, and producer from New York, and also the founder of Triple Threat Productions.-Early career and The Best Part:...
,
WordsworthWilliam Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
, and
the BeatnutsThe Beatnuts are a New York-based hip hop group and production duo from Queens, New York City. Its current members are JuJu and Psycho Les. JuJu is a Dominican from Corona and Psycho Les is a Colombian from Jackson Heights. The Beatnuts are the only Latino members of the Native Tongues Family...
.
In the Summer of 2005, Soulive left
Blue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues...
and signed a new contract with the jazz label
Concord RecordsConcord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
.
On September 13 2005, Soulive released its first album with Concord Records,
Break Out. On this release the band eschewed extended jams for beat-driven instrumentals and collaborations with
Chaka KhanChaka Khan, born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953, is a Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter best known for such hit songs as "I'm Every Woman", "Ain't Nobody", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire". She sang a modernized theme song for the popular children's TV show Reading Rainbow...
(featured on "Back Again"),
Ivan NevilleIvan Neville is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of the Neville Brothers....
(featured on "Got Soul" and "Take It Easy"),
Corey GloverCorey Glover is an American musician, singer, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead singer of the funk metal band Living Colour.-Career:...
(featured on "Freedom"), Robert Randolph (featured on the
Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter...
cover "
Crosstown TrafficCrosstown traffic refers primarily to vehicular traffic between Manhattan's East Side and Manhattan's West Side, the two areas being largely discontiguous in the area of Central Park which is crossed by only four sunken roads...
" and also on "Interlude II"), and
Reggie WattsReggie Watts is a multidisciplinary comedic performer.-Early life:Watts was born c.1972 in Germany to a French mother and an African-American father and raised in Great Falls, Montana. He attended Chief Joseph elementary school and graduated from Great Falls High School...
(featured on "She's Hooked" and "What Can You Do?"). Late in 2006 the group recorded
No Place Like SoulNo Place Like Soul is an album by Soulive that was released on July 31, 2007. It is produced by Jeff Krasno.Unlike previous Soulive albums, No Place Like Soul moved away from the band's jazz/funk feel and dabbled in the genres of soul, reggae, and pop...
with producer Stewart Lerman at his studio in
Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village , often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families. Greenwich Village, however, was known in the late 19th – earlier to mid 20th...
, The Shinebox.
As of the summer of 2007, Boston based reggae/soul artist Toussaint has been invited by the band to permanently fill the position of lead vocalist. However, after the tour, the band decided to become a trio yet again. In a post to the Soulive messageboard, Alan Evans explained: "we just want to have fun. no more chasing the pop thing or whatever that is. we just want to go out and rage, no setlists, no huge venues, no tour buses. just have fun. this is not to say we didn't have fun with tours, we did but we realized that in looking at our past...we have had the most success and most fun when it was just the trio." (http://soulive.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3138)
On March 12, 2009, Soulive announced that they would be releasing a new album,
"Up Here,"Up Here is an album by Soulive that was released on April 14, 2009. It is produced by Alan Evans, Neal Evans, Eric Krasno, and Jeff Krasno. It is available through the itunes store or through Amazon.com as a DRM-free digital download....
on April 14, 2009. The album marks somewhat of a return to form for the group, as many of the songs will solely be instrumentals. With their latest studio and live ventures, they are joined once again by Ryan Zoidis on Tenor Sax, Sam Kininger on Alto Sax - who are now under the alias "The Shady Horns" - as well as appearances by Rashawn Ross on Trumpet. Nigel Hall will also be guesting on the track "Too Much".
On July 28, 2009, played the pre-game festivities for the
MLS All-Star 2009The 2009 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 14
th consecutive MLS All-Star Game. The MLS All-Stars faced Everton of the Premier League on July 29 2009. The match ended in a 1–1 draw at full time and went to an immediate penalty shootout, which Everton won 4–3. Everton's American...
game at
The CanyonsThe Canyons Resort is one of three alpine ski resorts located in Park City, Utah.The ski area opened as "Park City West" in 1968, a sister resort to the established Park City Mountain Resort nearby...
in
Park City, UtahPark City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is one of two major resort towns in Utah, the other being Moab. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back and a part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area...
.
Studio albums
| Title |
Year |
Label |
| Get Down! |
1999 |
Velour Recordings Velour Recordings is an American record label founded in 1999 in New York by Jeff Krasno and Sean Hoess.-Signed artists include:* The Cat Empire* Soulive* Kaki King* Melissa Errico* Maktub* Topaz* Lettuce* Kudu* Baba* Sonya Kitchell...
|
| Turn It Out Turn It Out is an album by Soulive that was released on April 9, 2002 as a reissue. It was originally recorded in 2000. It was produced by Jeff Krasno....
|
1999 |
Velour Recordings |
| Doin' Something Doin' Something is an album by Soulive that was released on March 13, 2001. It was produced by Jeff Krasno with assistance from Bob Brockman and Yaron Fuchs. The album is the group's third release since their formation in 1999...
|
2001 |
Blue NoteBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues...
|
| Next Next is an album by Soulive that was released on March 12, 2002. It was produced by Jeff Krasno. Next brought a new chapter into the history of Soulive, and it marked the first time that the band toured as a quartet . Next built upon the success of the previous year's release, Doin' Something, with...
|
2002 |
Blue Note |
| Soulive Soulive is an album by Soulive that was released on April 8, 2003. It was produced by Jeff Krasno. Following the release of the studio album Next, the band decided to record their 2002 winter tour, and this album is a compilation of live recordings recorded from October 12 to December 7, 2002...
|
2003 |
Blue Note |
| Turn It Out Remixed |
2003 |
Velour Recordings |
| Steady Groovin (compilation) |
2005 |
Blue Note |
| Break Out |
2005 |
Concord Concord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.
|
| No Place Like Soul No Place Like Soul is an album by Soulive that was released on July 31, 2007. It is produced by Jeff Krasno.Unlike previous Soulive albums, No Place Like Soul moved away from the band's jazz/funk feel and dabbled in the genres of soul, reggae, and pop...
|
2007 |
Stax RecordsStax Records is an American record label founded in 1957, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and blues recordings...
|
| Up Here Up Here is an album by Soulive that was released on April 14, 2009. It is produced by Alan Evans, Neal Evans, Eric Krasno, and Jeff Krasno. It is available through the itunes store or through Amazon.com as a DRM-free digital download....
|
2009 |
Royal Family Records |
Instant live series
| Stage |
Location |
Recording date |
| Beachland Ballroom and Tavern |
Cleveland, OH |
28 September 2004 |
| Blind Pig |
Ann Arbor, MI |
29 September 2004 |
| Fine Line Café |
Minneapolis, MN |
2 October 2004 |
Iowa State UniversityThe Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced a number of astronauts, scientists, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners,...
|
Ames, IA |
3 October 2004 |
| Garanda |
Lawrence, KS |
4 October 2004 |
| Aggie Theatre |
Fort Collins, CO |
6 October 2004 |
| 32 Bleu |
Colorado Springs, CO |
7 October 2004 |
| Shaggy's Velvet Room |
Salt Lake City, UT |
10 October 2004 |
| Conga Room |
Los Angeles, CA |
13 October 2004 |
External links